In The Name of Science
by Ignite the Airwaves
Summary: They need Lance's knowledge, so they kidnap him to get answers. Although they don't care to take Ilana, when she comes to save Lance she may prove more useful than they had imagined. T for torture.
1. Taken

A/N- Hey, this was just begging to be written in my head, so here it is! I'm not thinking Ilanca as a relationship, but definitely as close close friends and maybe it'll be romance at some point, but I'm not sure. For right now I might just develop their relationship as the show does.

In The Name of Science

Chapter 1: Taken

If there was one thing about Lance that Ilana couldn't stand, it was his stubbornness. He just couldn't ever act…_normal_. She hated herself for thinking it, because they were both so far from normal, but it was true all the same. Keeping up this charade of normalcy was causing them to always have the same arguments.

"But Lance-,"

"_No_, Ilana."

"But it won't even be-,"

"Okay, fine, whatever. You can go. But I'm not going."

"Lance, you have to!" Ilana protested. Lance scowled.

"I don't have to do anything. If you want to go to that party, you go. But I'm tired from the fight yesterday and I haven't slept and I am _not_ going." He crossed his arms across his chest, pressing his back against the wall behind him.

"You aren't sleeping again? Lance, you should get that checked out-,"

His voice was more firm now. "No, Ilana. I told you, I'm fine. Just go to the party. I'll see you later." His eyes were on the ground, and she hated it. _Just look at me, Lance, look at me!_

"But-,"

"Later." He trudged upstairs, leaving Ilana wide-eyed and mid-protest behind him. Octus laid a large hand on Ilana's shoulder.

"Come on Ilana, we should go." He looked meaningfully at the stairs, and then turned Ilana towards the door. "Here, we will pick up Kimmy on the way."

"And why do we still let you go out with Kimmy?"

Octus shrugged, a small smile on his face, and opened the front door for her. Lance watched from his window as they got into the car and drove off. As soon as they were out of sight, he dropped down onto his bed with a groan. Lance rubbed his forehead, irritated.

_Why did Ilana have to bring that up?_

He had never been very good at sleeping; his mind just wouldn't quiet down long enough to allow it. But lately it was becoming much more frequent that he couldn't sleep, and when he did sleep, the nightmares were horrible. Ilana had already been suspicious of the bags under his eyes, but one night she walked in on him having a nightmare, and after that he could hardly hear the end of it.

Normally he would have been worried that his sleeping patterns were progressively getting worse, but he didn't want Ilana to be any more concerned about him. She was getting way too motherly, and he didn't need a mother. He was fine anyway. He had always gotten by on his own, and that wasn't about to change.

He lied down in bed on top of the blankets, clothes still on, and closed his eyes. He stayed like that in complete stillness for five minutes, and then his eyes shot open again.

"This is impossible," he mumbled. Lance was about to close his eyes to try again, but stopped when he heard a sound. He shot up into a sitting position. All of his training kept him from calling out to see if Ilana and Octus had returned home early. It was much too soon for them to be back, unless they had forgotten something. And he would have seen the car pull in anyway.

Lance silently got to his feet, creeping out of his room and down the hallway. He pressed his back against the wall and peered over his shoulder to the foot of the stairs. A black shape suddenly filled the doorframe and Lance gasped, pulling his head back. A few seconds later, he ventured to look again. This time he didn't pull his head away quickly enough; he could see two bright eyes through the slits of the black bodysuit. Lance did the only thing he found sensible in this situation; he attacked.

The black shape- just a normal man, it seemed- collapsed as Lance's foot hit him in the face. But before Lance could celebrate this victory, strong arms grabbed him from behind. Trying hard to tear his arms away, Lance lifted his foot and pushed it hard against the crotch of the man holding him, and the grip fell away.

However, Lance saw that it was far from over. The men he had knocked over were already getting to their feet, and several others were swarming towards him, congesting the narrow hallway and filtering into the living room. He swung out his right arm and knocked one down, only for another man to grab his left arm and twist it behind his back. Lance grunted, unable to pull his arm from the grip, but continued to lash out at the others surrounding him.

Then another hand grabbed his wrist and Lance felt hands on his arms and back and at the base of his neck, and then with a sharp pain in the back of his head, his eyes closed and his body slumped forward in the arms of his captors, unconscious.

Ilana could feel that something was different, wrong. She pushed the feeling away, because maybe it was just the absence of Lance at her side. Ilana had grown very accustomed to him shadowing her.

She missed him, she had to admit it.

Across the room she could see Octus and Kimmy dancing together, and it brought a smile to her lips. It was nice to see two people so happy with each other. She hadn't imagined it possible, especially not with Octus and Kimmy of all people. She was definitely happy for them.

Patting down her skirt, Ilana looked at the couples scattered across the room. They felt distant. She didn't understand why, but she was missing Lance more than ever.

But then a boy came up to her, said his name was Jason, and asked her to dance. He was cute and sweet and new and she took his hand, started to dance, and forgot that she had been thinking of Lance at all.

The first thing that registered to him was the strain in his muscles. Lance's eyes opened slowly and he tried to move his hands, brush the hair out of his face and feel the raised skin where he knew there were bruises. He was surprised when his hands wouldn't move; they were pulled securely behind his back, cuffed with metal. He jerked his arms apart roughly, but the cuffs remained secure.

He slowly became aware of a throbbing pain in the back of his head, and he took a deep breath to try and clear it. If he could just figure out where he was, he would be able to escape in no time at all. But the room looked so empty.

Blinking hard, he took another look. The walls and floor were a similar dingy cement gray, stained dark with things that he didn't care to look at. He could see the door, but the edges around it were reinforced, letting in no light at all. Or air. He wasn't sure if that was why he suddenly had trouble breathing. Lance could feel something wet dripping from his forehead, and his ankle was stinging, but otherwise he felt fine. It was just this trouble with breathing. He tried to focus on evening out his breaths, hopefully to clear his head.

But all of those ideas were lost when the door whooshed open, letting in a terribly bright yellow light and silhouetting the broad shouldered man in the doorway. The man smiled with ghastly yellow teeth.

"Now son, let's see what you know."

A/N- This idea just wouldn't rest in my mind, so I had to write it. I don't think anyone is ooc but let me know if they are. Thanks for reading and please review! I'll try to update often.


	2. Shock

A/N- Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Well, here goes nothing.

In The Name of Science

Chapter 2: Shock

Two darkly dressed guards entered the room, each taking one of his arms tightly. They herded him from the small room with the foul, broad-shouldered man leading the way. Lance was trying to hold his head high as he walked, to be strong, but for some reason it was much harder than it should have been. What had they done to him?

He was jarred back to awareness when he was shoved into a chair in a room quite similar to the previous one. Lance looked up into the face of the yellow-toothed man with a deep scowl.

"I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of formally introducing myself, Lance."

Lance's eyes narrowed, though on the inside his stomach twisted. Somehow, this man knew who he was. He had a bad feeling about this, like this man had known him for a very long time.

"You may not remember me, it's been so long. My name is Professor Trawn." He smiled widely, his eyes bright behind large glasses.

"What?" Lance's eyes widened, his mouth falling open. A sudden fear was gripping him, freezing his blood, and it was hard to breathe again. "You…you…" He fought to keep his voice even. The surge of hate was overwhelming.

"So you do remember me? Oh, I'm honored!" Trawn brought his hands together in delight.

"You bastard," Lance spat.

"Now there's no need for that, son. Now that we're all cozy and reacquainted, I think it's time we get down to why I brought you here."

Shutting his eyes, Lance tried to tune him out. He had almost succeeded when he was slapped hard across the face, the force of the hit almost pushing him out of the chair. He opened his eyes, shoulders shaking with anger. He ached to reach forward and wipe the smile off Trawn's face, but the cuffs wouldn't budge no matter how hard he pulled at them.

"Tell me, Lance, where is it that your father hid his blueprints?"

Lance laughed derisively. Now that he knew who this man was, he had been expecting that question. "Like I'd ever tell you."

Trawn slapped him across the face, harder this time. Lance's entire face went to the side with the force of the blow and he brought it back to face Trawn, gathering the blood in his mouth and spitting it on the floor. Lance looked up at Trawn, eyes cold and defiant. Trawn only laughed.

"No matter, son, no matter. There are other ways that I can make you talk." His smile became a sneer, and before Lance could react, the two guards wrenched him from his seat, somehow pressing on his cuffs so that his arms separated. Before he could use his freed arms to resist them, the guards pushed him onto an inclined table, and the separated cuffs on his wrists instantly attached to it. Lance grunted, struggling to break free with the same venomous look in his eyes. He only stopped struggling when Trawn spoke again.

"Not afraid yet? You will be. All I need are answers. You give them to me, and I'll let you go."

"Why do you want to know anyway?"

"Well, the designs for those robots are ingenious. If I could reproduce them, perhaps with more efficient and modern weapons, I could easily take over Earth."

"Earth? Why Earth?"

"Because Galaluna has fallen, Lance. I would like a fresh start, and a new rule."

Galaluna had fallen? Lance was shocked. What had happened to everyone he had known, to Ilana's father? Had anyone survived? He was desperate to know, but he couldn't believe any answers that Trawn would give him. After all, Trawn wanted answers, so he could be lying through his teeth.

Instead, he sneered. "I'm never going to tell you, so your 'new rule' won't happen."

"I think I know what might change your mind." Trawn smiled devilishly, and walked to the side of where Lance was restrained, out of Lance's view. Lance got another bad feeling right in the pit of his stomach, but he wouldn't let it show on his face.

Cold hands ripped open his shirt and he felt a few small discs being pushed onto his chest. That same fear gripped him again, a little bit tighter now. As hard as he fought to conceal it, it made his voice just the tiniest bit higher.

"What are you doing? What are these?" Trawn ignored him.

"Have you changed your mind? Will you tell me where I can find the blueprints? Otherwise, I'll have to take other measures." Lance still couldn't see him, and fought to make his voice even again.

"Do your worst," he scoffed.

That was the worst thing he could have said.

In an instant there was hot pain rippling through his body, his screams catching in his throat as every nerve ending felt the shock. It ended abruptly, and his body slumped forward weakly. Lance could still feel tingling in his body, and he took large and unsteady breaths to try and clear out the pain. His ears were ringing.

"One thousand volts," Trawn said quietly. "Half the amount used for the Earthling's electric chair, but drawn across a longer period of time. The voltage can be drastically increased, Lance. But you don't have to take it. You can just give me a little answer, and it'll all be over."

"You're not…you won't kill me," Lance rasped. He was still having difficulty collecting his thoughts. "You won't kill me… because I have the answers you want. So I'm not telling you anything."

Trawn seemed amused. "As you wish."

And then the voltage pushed through him again, stronger than before, and this time he couldn't stop the ugly scream that tore out of his throat. He screwed his eyes shut just so he wouldn't have to see Trawn laughing and laughing. The pain was ripping away at him, and when the electricity stopped, the pain persisted. His whole body hung slightly forward from his shackles, and he couldn't figure out how to breathe normally and everything felt tight and sharp and painful and weak.

Trawn smirked as he stepped away from the machine and back into Lance's blurry field of vision.

"Perhaps I cannot kill you, son, but I will _break_ you. It's only a matter of time before I get what I want. Don't forget that."

The professor left the room, the two guards following him. Lance waited until they were gone, then finally released a choked sob. He had been trained, he had been tortured; but never in all his years had it been as painful as in the past few minutes. He didn't know if he could take it.

And if what Trawn said was any indication, there was much worse to come.

A/N- So I think I liked this chapter. Ugh I still can't figure out if I'm making Lance OOC at all. It's just I feel like we haven't known the characters well enough. Like when I write Teen Titans fanfiction, I know exactly what Raven would say. But oh well, this is a fic anyhow. Leave a review if you feel like it. If not, I still appreciate that you're here!


	3. Reacquainted

In The Name Of Science

Chapter 3: Reacquainted

It was early in the morning when Lance woke, eyes bleary. He was hunched on the floor again in that first room, new cuffs on his wrists. They were heavier, and encompassed all the way from his fists up to his elbows.

His muscles were clenched and as hard as he tried, he couldn't get them to relax. There was still a paralyzing dizziness plaguing his vision, and he swore under his breath. He could feel his hands shaking in their cuffs, and he just couldn't make them go steady. Lance hated feeling this powerless. He had to do something before they broke him.

He wasn't left to dwell on his thoughts for long; the door swung open only a few minutes later. Trawn stood in the frame, smirking again as if he was privy to some sort of secret.

"What are you so happy about?"

Trawn shook his head disapprovingly at Lance. "It seems we still need to convince you to take the better option. It's an insult to your father's memory not to share his ideas so they can live on."

Lance trembled with anger, his eyes wet. "Do _not_ talk about my father. You have no right."

Laughing, Trawn kneeled before Lance. "Son, it seems you don't realize how much power I have over you in this situation. I suggest you begin to listen to me and treat me with respect; otherwise, it will just come out all the worse for you."

"Is that a threat?"

"A promise."

Lance bared his teeth at Trawn, and Trawn rose, still smiling.

"I've brought an old friend. I thought he might be able to convince you to help me." He turned toward the open door and called "Come in."

Lance looked up at the boy that entered the room. He would recognize that pointed nose and those harsh black eyes anywhere.

"Baron," he sneered.

The boy laughed. "Lance. I always knew you'd end up in a sorry state." His arms were crossed and he looked down his nose at Lance.

"I'll leave you two boys to get reacquainted." Trawn left then, the door sliding solidly into place and throwing the room into semidarkness.

"You know, Lance, I've never forgotten how you humiliated me." He was inspecting his nails with a mild interest. Suddenly he leaned down, and his breath ghosted Lance's ear. "I think it's time for some payback."

Lance wasn't prepared for the fist that hit him right in the face. Before he had time to recover, he felt Baron's booted foot plow into his jaw, and Lance fell to the side, trying to ignore the metallic taste in his mouth. Lance got to his feet, disguising the action's difficulty, and swung his cuffs towards Baron's gut. The metal hit Baron hard, and he fell to the ground.

Baron's eyes hardened with resolve, and he got to his feet. Lance ducked at the fist that flew towards him, but then Baron's other hand gripped tight around his throat. Lance's breath caught, and Baron pushed him hard up against the wall. The metal of the cuffs behind him pressed painfully into his back, and he struggled to keep his eyes open. Baron wouldn't just let him suffocate; that was too easy. Baron wanted him to suffer.

He released Lance's throat, and Lance dropped to his knees, head hanging. Lance spit out the next few words.

"Don't you want to know where my dad's plans are?"

With a scoff, Baron glanced pitilessly at the teen in front of him. "Quite honestly, I don't give a shit." His knee dove into Lance's stomach, and Lance issued a muffled cry. Lance felt himself being lifted in the air by his shirt, and suddenly he collided with the wall on the opposite side of the room. Baron was standing over him again then, with hot breath, and he picked him up by the shirt again, throwing him across the room. Lance could hear a ringing noise, and he couldn't tell if it was in the building or just in his ears, and the room was flashing red but it could just be the blood on his face.

Regardless, Baron kept throwing punches, and Lance could hardly feel it anymore for the numbness that was overtaking him. He called out as he heard his leg unnaturally snap beneath Baron's boot, but he could hardly even feel it anymore after the past two days.

His savior was an unexpected one.

"Baron! There are intruders. We need your help. Let me speak with Lance." Trawn stood wide in the doorway.

Baron spared Lance one last look of disdain and left the room. Trawn stepped in, and the door closed. With his hands laced behind his back, he inspected the teen's prone form.

Lance was having trouble breathing, and his chest was shuddering with the effort. He could feel his twisted leg beneath him, the muscles in his shoulders torn back by the heavy cuffs. And he could feel the thick blood coating his chest and forehead. He closed his eyes to try and will the feelings away.

He hardly even heard Trawn leave.

When Trawn returned, Lance was blissfully close to unconsciousness.

"Get up. Now," Trawn said.

Lance shook his head groggily, with weak murmurs that may have been protests.

"Up." With the command, Lance felt his body being wrenched from the ground by Trawn's thick hands, and he winced, biting his lip hard.

"Hmm...Baron did well." Trawn nodded to himself, and went to the door.

"Bring her in."

Although Lance had been ready to pass out, the next thing he saw pushed all weariness from his mind and replaced it with fresh and new terror.

A girl was led into the room, bruised and tired. She saw him and her doe eyes opened even wider.

"Lance…," Ilana whispered.

"Oh, the two of you are acquainted?" Trawn laughed, "How perfect!"

"Why…why is she here?" The words were much harder to speak than they should have been, and they came out harsh and raspy.

"This little lady was breaking and entering. I suppose she was looking for you. But now that we have this lovely new guest, Lance," he reached out to Ilana and she shied away from his touch, "I think you should weigh your options. Because it seems physical pain is no issue for you, but we could do the same to your pretty friend- or even worse." The yellow grin had returned.

Lance's heart thudded in his chest.

"No…don't. Please. Hurt me instead, just leave her alone." He didn't know this kind of fear, the kind he couldn't be numb to. Ilana was still looking at him, clearly horrified. He couldn't tell if it was how he looked or what Trawn was implying. Maybe she was just as afraid as he was.

And where was Octus? He should soar in and save them any moment. Should. Lance was afraid that it wouldn't happen.

"A change of heart, then? You're prepared to tell us where to find your father's blueprints?"

There was a thick silence. Trawn looked at Lance for a long time, then turned towards the exit. "I'll leave you two to chat. I hope you make the right choice, son." He left, and Ilana raced to Lance's side as best as she could, restricted only the smaller cuffs he had worn before.

"Lance…Lance…" Her voice was breathless. Was she crying? He could swear that she was.

"You shouldn't be worrying about me." Maybe she would have taken his word for it if his voice hadn't cracked.

"How did this happen? What did they do to you?"

"I- you don't need to know. It's not important." His throat was hurting too much to continue the conversation, but she didn't seem to notice. Tears were running down her cheeks, and he looked pointedly away so he wouldn't have to see them.

"You have to be careful, Ilana. If they learn that you're the princess, who knows what will happen? I don't want you to get hurt."

Ilana blinked hard, frowning. She had stopped crying but there was still evidence of the tears on her face. She wanted to help him, but she couldn't move her hands at all. She instead stood, and then sat down closer to Lance. She felt his head loll onto her shoulder, and she closed her eyes as he fell asleep, not wanting to ever remember him this way.

But despite Lance's precautions, Trawn already knew. "The princess," he murmured, "If I mention her to General Modula, then perhaps I don't need that worthless boy anymore." A wicked smile pulled up the corners of his mouth.


	4. Switched

AN- Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Here you go!

In the Name of Science

Chapter 4: Switched

"Lance, wake up. Lance."

He opened his eyes, vision blurry. With a low groan, he shifted his body up against the wall. He turned to the side and saw her, and his eyes widened with panic. "Ilana? No, you have to get out of here!"

"I'm not leaving you. Don't be stupid; you're hurt, and you know it."

Lance sighed and shook his head. He moved his leg to try and get in a more comfortable position, and had to hold back a loud cry. He could see on her face that she had noticed.

"Where's Octus?" His chest felt tight again, but talking to Ilana was allowing him to focus on something besides the pain. It had dulled in some places, but intensified in others, and he was afraid that it was getting harder to hide things around her.

"I lost him. When we came in he was right behind me. I'm not sure if they found him or not." She frowned.

"He's Octus, he'll be fine," Lance said. Ilana looked at him in surprise. It wasn't the words that were unusual; but his tone was completely flat. He was fighting so hard to hide his pain from her, but she could see it in his eyes and the way his chest was hitching for breath.

"We need to get out of here. What do they want from you… they said it was your father's blueprints? I don't understand."

"Trawn wants my dad's blueprints for all of his armor, including the Manus ones. He wants to take over Earth. Galaluna has fallen."

"No!" She was shocked, horrified. He couldn't meet her eyes.

"Ilana, listen to me. You need to find Octus and get out of here-,"

"I'm not leaving you!"

"Listen to me!" he demanded, "I can stand this, I'll be okay. But if they hurt you-," he paled. When he continued, his voice was quiet and urgent. "You have to go. We can't let him get this information. He'll destroy everything."

"Lance, I…," The door opened.

"Have you made a decision?" Trawn asked. "I'd consider your options carefully, my boy. It's been a while since most of my men have seen a girl on this ship." He leered at Ilana, and Lance's fists clenched in their cuffs.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Obviously despite all of your time here, you've yet to learn that my limits know no bounds."

Lance was aching to stand, to hit Trawn hard and watch him fall, but his leg trembled uselessly beneath him. It would only make it worse to show Trawn this new weakness, although the bastard probably already knew.

"Alright, I'll tell you. Just…just let her go." He hung his head.

"Lance!"

"I'm not stupid, son, you'll have to do better than that. As soon as I would let her go, she would hide and you'd refuse to talk again. I have leverage now and I intend upon using it. Now I will hurt your precious little friend here, and you will watch, until you can tell me what you know." A guard stepped into the room from behind Trawn and walked to Ilana's side. The guard reached down to grab her wrist, but Lance staggered in front of her just in time. He could hear Trawn laughing as he blocked the blow. The guard glowered at him.

Lance ignored the punch in his gut, despite his watering eyes. The guard reached for Ilana again, and Lance dove in front of her, catching the guard's hand. The guard smirked; he increased the pressure and Lance's strength gave out. He grunted as he fell to the ground. He felt a hard kick on his back and then it was getting hard to think.

He half-opened his eyes from his sprawled position on the floor to see Ilana's bare feet moving towards the door. A shadow fell over him and Lance squinted up at Trawn's face, hardly able to see him for the glare off of his glasses.

"Come, boy, I want you to see." Lance felt Trawn pull on his arm, and he cried out loudly, all pride forgotten. "Stop moaning and come with me." Lance tried to answer him, but his focus was getting even blurrier. Before he could force out any cry of protest, an indescribable pain shot through his entire body and his eyes shut into unconsciousness.

Trawn dropped Lance's body on the ground, grunting in annoyance. The boy just had to go and faint on him. In retrospect, the kid was beat up pretty badly- but no, Trawn didn't care. He motioned to another guard that stood at the door and the guard slung Lance none too gently over his shoulder. He followed Trawn into the hallway, the teen's limp body swinging over his shoulder.

They entered a larger room, a variation of weapons hanging from nails on the walls or lying disorganized in racks. But these weren't guns or grenades or bombs; they were all different kinds of bats and knives and saws, and just seeing them made Ilana feel sick to her stomach. Her knees were already trembling, but her stomach knotted tightly when Trawn entered, closed the door behind him, and she saw the guard drop Lance to the ground. She couldn't even handle looking at how damaged Lance was. All she could think about was how she had gotten there too late to save him.

"There there, no need to cry, sweetie. As long as Lance comes to his senses, there's no need for you to be hurt at all. I don't see why he wouldn't want to save a lovely, innocent young girl like yourself." Ilana could see it in Trawn's eyes; he was already trying to manipulate her. But nothing would turn her against Lance, not that easily. All the same, she was starting to shrink under Trawn's glare. She was glad when his focus was broken by a beep on the other side of the room.

Trawn strode away, and walked to the small screen on the wall. His expression changed to one of delight.

"Oh, General!"

Ilana tried to hear the response, but it was too garbled to understand from her distance. Who was making Trawn so happy? It certainly couldn't be a good thing.

"And that's all you'd like, sir? Oh, thank you!"

The transmission ended and Trawn turned to face Ilana with a devilish grin.

"It seems I managed to strike up a deal. Thanks to you, Princess, we don't need Lance anymore."


	5. Traded

In The Name of Science

Chapter 5: Traded

"What…what do you mean?" Her voice shook, and his smile widened.

"Take her down to the holding room near the exit." The guard grasped Ilana's wrists firmly, and she made a quiet noise as she tried to struggle out of his grip.

"What's going on?" she demanded. Although she was trying to sound tough, Trawn could hear the note of panic in her voice. He also noticed how her gaze seemed to keep straying desperately back to Lance. Silly girl. The boy couldn't possibly save her now. From the looks of him, he wouldn't even be able to save himself.

"Lance's father had one copy of the blueprints. There was only one more, and it belonged to the Galalunan army, for the purpose of reconstructing more armor after his father passed. And this, dear girl, is where you come in. General Modula has obtained that set of blueprints, and has offered them in a trade."

She asked the question even though she thought she already knew the answer. "For what?"

"For you."

Ilana laughed. "You do realize how stupid this plan is, right? As soon as the general saves me, he'll send troops back for Lance. He knows where you are now, it's only a matter of time."

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong, princess. You seem to have been misinformed. The Muttradi invasion of Galaluna was led by the general. He was on their side all along." Trawn smirked. "He even killed your father."

"No…" Her eyes were round and wet, limbs trembling. "No, no, no…" It couldn't be true, he had to be lying. Her father couldn't be gone.

"Modula was the one sending those Muttradi after you the entire time. I'm not sending you to any sort of salvation, don't misunderstand my motives."

"You can't do this!" she cried, "How could you turn your back on all of Galaluna?"

He grabbed her chin roughly so she had no choice but to look up into his dark eyes. "They turned their backs on me a very long time ago." He released her, and she looked pointedly at the floor.

"Now get moving."

"What about Lance?" She was afraid to hear the answer.

Trawn's chuckled confirmed her fear. "Oh, you don't need to worry about him. We'll keep him nice and safe here."

"No!" Ilana tried to get away from the guard but his grip only tightened. "Ugh-ah, let go of me!" she cried, frustrated.

"It's no use, sweetheart. At this point I would say that you'll be best off if you just do what I say. Remember," he laughed mockingly, "It could always be worse."

"No, stop! You can still change! You can be a hero!" she protested.

"I'm sorry, but there's no use dwelling on a lost cause. And I'm through listening to you babble. Don't worry, it'll be alright. And Lance will be safe here with us."

"Look what you've done to him," she spat. Trawn was taken aback; he hardly knew her but he knew that she never spoke like this. "How can you stand yourself, torturing someone? How could you hurt one person so much that never even caused you harm?" Her tears were falling freely now, and Trawn changed his surprised expression to a solemn one.

"That is enough. Take her out now."

Ilana wrenched her arms away from the guard and drove her cuffed arms into his stomach. With a grunt, he fell over hard onto Lance's extended arms, crushing the metal of his cuffs with the impact. Furious, the guard ignored the pain in his back and attacked her, knocking her hard into the wall. With a cry, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He grabbed her arms again. Ilana couldn't resist him any longer. She was being pulled out the door. "Lance! Lance!"

"Give up on him. He can't save you."

The door swung shut and she and the guard disappeared from sight. Trawn heard a moan, and turned to Lance to see the boy was opening his eyes. He had to give him credit for his endurance.

"Ilana…" he whispered. Louder then, he looked at Trawn and demanded, "What did you do to her?" He struggled to sit up. "_What_ did you do?"

Trawn shrugged noncommittally. "Traded her for the blueprints."

"_Traded her_?" His voice was shrill and furious.

"The only other copy of the blueprints was in the hands of General Modula."

"And that's who took her?"

"Yes. The man who overthrew Galaluna."

Lance swore loudly and got to his feet, blindly lunging out towards Trawn. Somewhere in Ilana and the guard's scuffle, the weak point of his cuffs had been snapped and now his arms were still cuffed but not attached to each other. Trawn caught his arm before it hit him in the face; it was trembling still. Lance could feel his legs giving out from under him, but he wouldn't fall down. Not yet. There was too much at stake here.

Chuckling, Trawn tightened his grip on Lance's arm. Lance grimaced, but finally managed to pull his arm free. His chest shook with anger and pain, and his legs cramped uncomfortably. He hoped that there was fog in the room and that his vision really hadn't gone that blurry. He could feel his legs bending- no! Shit. He had to stay awake, for Ilana's sake.

"You're almost done for, son. You really are. Your friend will be gone in the morning- the robot's been disabled. There's no point in fighting it anymore. You've lost. Earth is mine."

"NO!" Lance threw out his arm and punched Trawn in the face, watching the huge man topple backward from the force. Lance relished the feel of cold and wet on his hands. Knuckles reddened with Trawn's blood pounded into the man's face again, and then his gut, and his head, until Trawn was unconscious and Lance was left breathing huskily, head pounding viciously. With every breath he drew in, it begin harder to concentrate and the room's lights were blurring around him. Sleepy, so sleepy. Sleeping would be so nice, his eyelids felt too heavy.

And then he heard a scream. It was distant, but ringing from the vent that opened from the wall. And it was definitely Ilana. His heart was thumping in his ears as he crawled to the vent and tore off the cover, letting it clang noisily to the floor. He glanced back once at Trawn, who was still unconscious, and then entered the vent on his hands and knees.

It was unbelievably cold, but it didn't do anything for his focus. It only made his head ache more, but he continued on. He could hear Ilana's voice now, protesting, and his stomach sank hard. And then he had to stop, to fight the hot pain searing up his throat. He gagged ferociously, eyes screwed in pain. His stomach was fighting to push its contents up but he hadn't eaten in almost a weak. He heaved dryly, coughing harshly with his stomach wracking with spasms.

He heard her again. Teeth gritted to keep them from shaking, he crawled the last few meters to where the noise had come from. He dropped through the vent into the room.

AN- Whoa, that totally did not turn out like I planned it, but I really like it so it's going to definitely stay. Hope you liked!


	6. Losing

AN- Thanks to everyone who gave such positive reviews!

In the Name of Science

Chapter 6: Losing

Lance rose slowly and looked around the room. His stomach dropped hard and fast. Ilana wasn't in the room. For fuck's sake, this was important! He needed to save her, he didn't have time for this. He looked around a second time, now for a way out, and his eyes lit up.

Octus.

Lance ran to his friend's side, ignoring the blood running down his leg.

"Octus? Come on, Octus. We need to save Ilana."

The robot's form remained motionless. Lance groaned in frustration and reached over to Octus's side, touching the robot's core gently. His eyes lit up again as he looked at Octus more closely, and he leaned over, his fingers shaking as he pulled the two loose wires together. There was a spark, and he jerked his hands backwards. His efforts were rewarded when Octus slowly got to his feet.

"Lance?"

"Octus! I'm so glad you're here."

"Lance, you are hurt. What has happened? Where is Ilana?"

"We need to save her. Trawn is planning to trade Ilana for armor blueprints in order to take over Earth. Can you figure out where Ilana is?" Lance rose from his kneeling position, and the difficulty of the action was hardly disguised in his expression. Octus noticed but he didn't say anything.

"As her watch was removed, I cannot trace her. However, I believe that I can hear her."

"Lead the way." Lance's eyes were determined.

"Lance, you are injured. I do not believe you should come."

"No, Octus. I have to do this."

"As you wish." Octus knelt beside the door's keypad. He touched it and a spark emitted. The door flew open, and Lance took no time in running out. He knew Octus had to lead the way, but it was irritating to have to follow him because Lance was a much faster runner. Every minute or so Octus would stop and listen and adjust their course. As they got closer, Lance ran faster, because he could hear Ilana's voice now. And he could hear Modula's. He shouldn't be pushing himself so hard, he should have given out hours ago, but he had to keep going.

There was a heavy door ahead and Lance put his arms out in front of himself. With a loud cry of pain, he broke down the door and ran into the room. Ilana was standing across from Modula, her head bowed. It looked like she had been crying.

But then she turned and saw him and her face brightened. Modula looked surprised at first, but when he spoke his voice was even.

"Well, Lance, it seems our transgressor was put in charge of the princess. Was that foolish king out of options?" He laughed. "You could have been a great soldier under me, you know. It's a shame your father passed. Maybe he would have raised you right."

An animal noise erupting from deep in his throat, Lance lunged at Modula. However, his fatigue delayed his attack and Modula easily grabbed his wrist and twisted it hard. Lance screamed as Modula twisted it harder and harder until there was a loud crack. Ilana looked horrified.

Octus came to Lance's aid, about to blast an energy beam from his palm. But he stopped when Modula pulled the still struggling Lance in front of him. A human shield. Octus lowered his arm, his face conflicted.

"You understand, robot. At first I only needed to get rid of the girl, but it seems you're all proving to be a problem. Understand me. Allow me to leave with these two and they will remain unharmed." He smiled wolfishly.

"Octus, don't listen to him!" Lance said. "He's going to kill us anyway. Just take the shot, I'll be okay."

"But Lance…" the robot looked at his friend. "You're dying."

It was quiet. For a long moment Lance refused to meet Octus's eyes. When he spoke his voice was quiet.

"I'll be fine, Octus. Don't worry about me."

Modula laughed and pulled back again on Lance's arm. Lance screamed and Ilana tried to run towards him but the guard held her tight. Lance breathed heavily, eyes only slits as he tried to concentrate. He raised his head and locked eyes with Octus, his shoulders heaving. Octus nodded imperceptibly just once as he understood.

With a grunt, Lance pulled up his shaking leg and rammed it into Modula's stomach. In his surprise, Modula let go of Lance's arm, and Lance slipped away from his grasp.

"Now!"

Octus raised his hand and shot the beam directly at Modula. Modula fell onto his back with a cry, clutching at his stomach, and was motionless. The soldiers around them stood still and silent, waiting to see if their leader was still alive. For a beautiful moment, Ilana and Lance looked at each other and smiled.

And then Modula sat up and coughed long and hard. His eyes were cold with resolve.

"Destroy the robot and bring the other two to me."

Panicked, Ilana and Lance stood back to back as soldiers surrounded them. They saw Octus pushed further and further away, but they could hardly control it. Ilana looked at her cuffed hands, and Lance looked at his bloody ones.

"Lance, if we don't get out of this-,"

"I know, Ilana. I know."

It wasn't long before the crowd of men separated them. Lance could see Ilana in the distance and he was proud of her; she was both using her cuffs as weapons and attacking with her legs. He, on the other hand, was doing the best that he could with all of his injuries.

Ducking under a guard's arm, Lance blocked a kick to his back and dropped to the ground, letting the men hit each other instead. But as he rose there were even more around him and he could feel his head spinning and it was getting harder to see and focus. He jolted when he heard a loud feminine scream.

"Ilana!"

She didn't answer. Bile rising in his throat, he grabbed a man's arm and twisted it roughly, then pushed him away. As he fought to get near where he had last seen Ilana, his attacks grew more frantic and sloppy. And he felt a fist catch him in the gut and he coughed and blood came out and he fell to his knees and all he could see were the people swarming around him and his back was stinging and they must have had whips because he heard the cracks and he felt the pain and the blood and his knees gave out and they kept whipping and he couldn't get up and everything hurt even more than before and he couldn't stand it and his eyes closed.


	7. Savior

In The Name of Science

Chapter 7: Savior

Lance awoke to screaming. He wanted to jerk forward and find the source of the problem, but he was restrained tightly by the wrists and he was finding it hard to even raise his head. He raised it slowly and cautiously, eyes only half-opened, and he gazed out into the crowd. His eyes widened in recognition.

No. No way.

They were on Galaluna.

He could see the people- _his_ people- screaming up at him. He jerked his arms roughly, but his restraints tightened. No, they weren't restraints, he realized. It was a Muttradi that was holding him up. Lance's knees were digging into the wooden platform beneath him and his shoulders ached horribly. He could see Ilana to his right; she was standing, but held by another Muttradi monster.

Modula's voice carried out over the screaming, loud and commanding.

"Citizens. Before you I have the princess and her protector, fallen to their knees in front of me. End your rebellion. There is no hope. If you follow my lead then you all will be promised safety and food for your families."

The screaming had diminished and Lance opened his eyes more fully as they adjusted to the light. His throat caught in a gasp. Galaluna was in shambles, and the people were wild and bright eyed. Their sickly, thin arms grasped up towards the podium and Lance had to swallow back his revulsion. These were his people… and they were dying.

He head Ilana gasp beside him and he couldn't look at her but he knew that she was seeing the same thing as him, maybe even worse. He was having trouble thinking now; his head was pounding viciously and he was starting to sweat. In the past few days he had known he wouldn't survive much longer, but now he could really feel it; he was going to die. In minutes. It scared him how easily he accepted it. What had they done to him?

"And now you will watch as I destroy the princess and overthrow the final heir to Galaluna. Today is ours!"

Lance watched helplessly through heavy eyelids as Ilana was pulled to the front of the stage. Modula raised a sharp sword in the air and Lance heard a scream and a gasp and he squeezed his eyes shut. There was a long moment of silence, and Lance could feel his eyes watering, and he squeezed them tighter to hold back the tears. They fell all the same, and he felt his body shudder with the sobs. The silence was interrupted by a chopping of aircraft blades.

"Let them go."

Lance's eyes shot open, his expression completely bewildered.

Trawn stood on the stage now, facing off against Modula, anger in his eyes.

Modula laughed, "Trawn, I believe you're out of place here. Go back to your little ship."

"You promised me the boy, but then left with the both of them without my authorization, without my payment, and without the blueprints."

"Don't be ridiculous," Modula laughed, "You never had a chance. I never meant to give you anything. You played right into my hands."

Trawn's body stiffened with anger. "Men, attack!"

The soldiers swarmed across the platform and Lance felt his captor drop him hard onto the ground. He tried to get up, but his body just wouldn't cooperate and he saw spots everywhere and he didn't know everything could ever hurt this much. And then he was scooped up into two thick arms and it felt like he was floating and he closed his eyes again and he knew that he wasn't going to wake up and he wasn't even scared for himself anymore; just Ilana.

Was she even alive? This last thought went through his mind before his body went still as the crowds raged up around him. It wasn't until an hour later that he started feebly to wake, surprised by his own resilience.

"I think he's dying! Help him! Please…please." Someone was crying.

"I am very sorry. I am doing the best that I can. My extensive knowledge of medicine does not negate the fact that he has sustained numerous injuries."

Lance knew these voices. He groaned quietly as he felt his leg being moved and he heard a gasp. A warm hand grasped his.

"Lance?" The voice was hopeful and the small hand tightened around his own.

"I-Ilana?" he coughed.

"I'm here Lance."

"What happened?" He couldn't seem to open his eyes but just hearing her voice was amazing for him. She was alive, and safe. Healthy enough to be holding his hand.

"Trawn came back and his soldiers attacked Modula and the Muttradi. Octus was still on Trawn's ship. They didn't realize that they only powered him down temporarily so he came out and saved us."

"Where are we now?"

She was silent for so long that had it not been for her hand in his he would have thought she left.

"The castle."

He had to open his eyes after that, and he wished he had kept them closed. It was only a husk of what the once great palace had been, dilapidated and darkened with soot. He was lying on the floor of the main hall that used to know lords and ladies and ballgowns; now cinders. He saw Octus now, and Ilana. Ilana wasn't in any sort of bad condition; the sword must have been intercepted by Trawn when he arrived. Lance moaned drowsily and tried to go to sleep.

"No Lance, please don't go to sleep now! You…you might not wake up."

"Unhh, ugh," he moaned.

"Listen to me! Octus."

Lance cried out as a mild shock ran through his body and his eyes watered.

"I am sorry Lance. It was a necessary precaution to keep you awake. We intend to travel through the rift gate if it is still intact and get you better medical assistance on earth."

This was something he hated- not being indebted to someone; he was okay with that now, after meeting these two people- but being so powerless. He wanted to get up and go with them of his own will- hell no, he wanted to protect them. But everything was so broken and he really couldn't move without being in so much pain, much more pain than he had ever imagined. He had thought that in the course of a few days something would have healed but it only felt worse. At least they had gotten off his cuffs. His wrists were red and raw and they ached.

Her fingertips were soft on his face now and he felt Octus lift him again and her hand fell away. Lance coughed roughly, and he felt blood dribble on his chin. He heard Ilana gasp again and he couldn't even muster up the strength to feel irritated.

He let Octus carry him up the stairs and down the path he and Ilana hadn't taken in what seemed like forever.

AN- Still a lot of ideas left, promise at least 2 more chapters depending upon my level of inspiration. Thanks for reading.


	8. Earth

In The Name Of Science  
Chapter 8: Earth

The rift gate still stood pristine, gleaming, as if too pure for the Muttradi to destroy. Octus gently laid Lance on the floor of the ship docked to it, and Octus and Ilana quickly ran some repairs on the somewhat battered craft.

Lance, still slipping in and out of consciousness, was only vaguely aware of what they were doing- he could just see the blue lights flashing and the adjusting of wires when he managed to open his eyes for long enough.

Octus set up a delayed departure and he and Ilana entered the ship. Ilana gently took Lance's head into her lap and stroked his hair soothingly, as if to prepare him for the journey. After all this time, there was no guarantee that it would be smooth.

With a lurch, the ship propelled itself into the rift gate and sped forward. Ilana gripped tightly at a rung on the wall, holding Lance securely with the other hand. And as quickly as the ship had begun its course, it slowed tremendously and hovered through the space. They could see the earth, blue beneath them. Octus leaned forward and typed the exact coordinates of their destination into the computer.

"Octus! Hurry!" Ilana shook Lance gently, trying to keep him awake.

"I am going as fast as I can." He pressed the last key and the ship sped down to the Earth. "Hold on," Octus advised.

Their ship met the earth and skidded hard into the ground. Lance heard a pop; the door's latch had opened. He was picked up again and raced outside into the moist, sticky air. He wasn't even sure where they had landed- were they even close to Sherman, or had they landed in a completely different place?

It didn't matter, they were inside of a hospital only moments later. Lance could only hear the unsynchronized high beeps around him and he was lifted and now on something soft and he closed his eyes and this time no one stopped him and he was speeding, speeding down the hall.

Ilana kept fidgeting in her chair in the waiting room, fingers drumming on the table and ankles nudging one another uncomfortably. She couldn't even pay any attention to the magazines, she was too antsy to flick through them.

"Be patient, Ilana. The doctors are capable. We have done all we can."

"But, Oc-," she remembered where they were, "-Dad, what if Lance…what if he, well, what if he doesn't make it?"

Octus turned to look at her, and was alarmed to see that her large eyes were filled with tears. Even Octus seemed nervous, despite his assumed inability to show emotions. Placing his large, square hand over her slender one, Octus smiled nervously at Ilana, and she nodded at him in thanks and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

When Lance awoke, he was alone. The only light came from a window to his right, whose curtains blew into the room with the cold night air. Was it night already? Had it even been day when they had arrived? He couldn't even remember.

Groaning quietly, Lance rolled over onto his side to see if he could find a clock, but to no avail. He gently re-positioned himself so that he was lying on his back again. His injuries were still painful, but much duller than he had remembered. He could feel that his body was heavier, more thickly covered- there was a cast on his leg, bandages across his torso, and much more that he was too weary to account for- it was frustrating.

Then somebody coughed, and Lance's eyes widened. "Hello? Who's there?" There was no other bed in his room, not that he could see.

"Lance, it's me."

He had some trouble replying to such a familiar, distant voice. He couldn't make himself believe it was him, not after all of this time.

"Dad?" Lance's voice hovered hopefully.

"Lance. I've missed you, son."

"Dad." He couldn't help but repeat it, he hadn't said the word in so long, and he felt like crying because he had been waiting years to say it. He could see his father now, silhouetted against the window, wearing the hat and trench coat that Lance felt were so familiar.

"I'm proud of you. You didn't give up. And you're strong. Much stronger than you know." He was still facing the window. As glad as Lance was to see him, to know he was alive, he wanted to see his face. _Turn around, goddammit. _

"But…but how? How did you survive? You went into the rift gate before it was completed-,"

"That's true, Lance."

"Why? Why did you leave me?" He couldn't help the hurt, accusing tone in his voice.

"You've made it through this time, and you will again. You have some great friends, Lance. You know, Ilana's father and I always hoped that you and she would have this kind of a connection. You're going to get through everything together; I just regret that I haven't been there." He turned towards the door. Lance sat up quickly, wincing.

"No, wait! Dad, where…where are you going? Don't leave!"

"I have to, Lance, I'm sorry."

"That's not fair!" Not even surprised by his own childish remark, Lance could hardly see his father through his tears.

"I'm so sorry. I love you."

Lance fought then, fought the hardest that he ever had to get out of bed, to rip into the hallway, but then the lights were blaring and screeching and he could only feel pain. He was surrounded by bodies and people forced into bed and they made him sleep.

The next time he opened his eyes, the sun was shining into his room and Ilana was beaming above him.

"Lance, you're awake! Octus, Lance woke up!"

Lance groaned softly and slowly sat up.

"Lance, it is good to see that you are well." Octus smiled.

"Yeah. Were you guys here all night?" Lance asked, his hand balling into a fist around the blanket.

"Mhm," Ilana responded, "But it's no big deal, don't have a fit about it." She pulled the curtains further back from the window to let in more light. Lance watched her warily.

"Um, listen, guys. Did I, er- have any visitors yesterday?"

Ilana turned to him, an eyebrow raised. "No. Why?"

"Oh, um, no reason. Just curious." Had his father entered through the open window? Had it all been a dream? Was his father still just as gone as before? Lance shuddered, and blinked back tears. For the moment, he had no way of knowing.

Still suspicious, Ilana shrugged at Octus and then turned to Lance again. "Want me to tell them to bring in food? They were waiting until you were awake and had an appetite."

"Sure. Thanks. I mean, thank you guys for so much. For everything."  
"Well, Lance, after all, you did protect the entire Earth as well as Ilana from coming to harm," Octus responded, "It was the least we could do."

"And either way, we're family!" Ilana chirped. "Let me go see about your breakfast." She left the room.

"So Octus, no one was in my room last night? Nobody at all?"

"There was a five minute period in which Ilana and I visited the cafeteria, but that is all. Why is this so important to you, Lance?"

Lance looked away. "No reason. It's not important."

"It seems to me that it is very important. You may tell me if you decide it is best. I would like to give my advice."

"Thanks, Octus. I appreciate that."

"Of course. You are my friend."

AN- Wow, that was harder to write than I thought it would be. Probably just an epilogue or final chapter, unless I have an idea in the near future. To be honest, I'm not sure in my mind whether his father was real or a dream, but I felt that going through the rift gate, his father may have just been lost on Earth for all of that time. Not sure. Review and give me ideas!


	9. Adjusting

AN- Speedy updating for all!

In the Name of Science

Chapter 9: Adjusting

Lance was getting better every day, and it only made Ilana and Octus happy to see him hungry again, sleeping again, even training again. After a week, he was released from the hospital into their care, and they hardly gave him a moment alone- but he had to be honest, he didn't mind at all.

However, one thing had been haunting him since he had returned to Earth, and he was pretty sure that Ilana felt the same way. It took him a week to feel confident enough to even bring it up. He was worried about her reaction; after all, she had always seemed very happy here in their home. And Galaluna was a nightmare.

"Ilana?" Lance leaned in the kitchen's door frame, wrinkling his nose at the smell coming from the contents of the pot.

"Mm?" She stirred in what seemed to be a lump of spaghetti. The water turned brown.

"We have to go back."

Her face fell. "I know. I was thinking the same thing."

"We can't leave them all behind to suffer. It's not right. I'll talk to Octus about getting a ride home as soon as we can." He smiled and walked into the room, standing beside her. He pointed at the pot with a crutch.

"So what's for dinner?"

Octus stood outside the room, grinning. They didn't know he'd heard them, but he had just the right idea of how to get back.

For the next week, whenever Lance tried to corner Octus and ask him about a way of getting back to Galaluna, Octus would find an excuse to leave, or just not listen to him at all. Lance was getting increasingly frustrated- with his leg still in a cast, he was finding it hard to chase Octus down.

But on Friday, as the teens sat down for dinner, they saw that Octus hadn't come to the table.

"Octus, dinner!" Ilana called. They waited, but they didn't hear his footsteps. "Octus?" They looked at each other, both confused. "I wonder where he could be." Ilana took her napkin off of her lap and put it on the table, getting to her feet. Lance followed her out of the kitchen and into the backyard, where a strange light was emanating behind the trees.

"Octus?" Ilana called. Then she stopped walking, and Lance, not paying attention, accidently bumped into her.

"Wow."

"Jeez."

Standing in the clearing before them was a gleaming ship, almost like the one they had originally taken to Earth, except with some obvious improvements and upgrades. Octus emerged from behind the ship, smiling.

"Oh Octus, thank you!" Ilana ran up to him and hugged him tightly.

"Of course, Ilana. I know that the both of you would like to help Galaluna."

"Yeah, Octus, thanks." Lance grinned.

"So when can we set out?" she asked.

"Why not now?" Lance asked.

She swatted at him. "Lance, don't do that. Your leg needs to heal first."

"Oh, come on, Ilana. It's fine. I can take the cast off right now."

"No. The doctor said two weeks. You've been great though. Lance, I'm so proud of you." She went to hug him, but he turned away. He was for a fleeting moment reminded of his own father. In returning to Galaluna, would he leave his father behind?

"Okay." He turned back to the house and began to walk inside, shivering slightly.

Ilana looked up at Octus. "What did I say?"

Octus shrugged. "You should follow him."

Running after Lance, she managed to reach him right before he entered the house. His defensive slouch had returned, and it worried her- she hadn't seen it since their very first Earth arrival. She put a hand on his shoulder, and he shrugged it off.

"Lance, what's wrong?"

"Just leave me alone, okay?"

"Not until you tell me what's wrong!"

"Dammit, Ilana." He walked away and up the stairs. She heard him slam his door.

"Ilana, how did it go?"  
"I think…I think he was crying," she said, shocked. "I have to…" Ilana went up the stairs and knocked on his door, pressing her ear to it. "Lance?"

"Go away."

When she tried to open the door, she found that it was locked. Irritated, Ilana took a deep breath and used her strength to force the door open. She wanted to storm angrily to his side, but when she saw him, she stopped.

"…Lance? Oh my gosh, Lance." She rushed to his side. He had been curled up on his bed, and as soon as he saw her he sat up and turned his back to her, wiping angrily at his face. "Ilana, go away," he grumbled.

"Just tell me what's bothering you!" she pleaded.

"I saw my dad, okay?" he shouted. He buried his head in his hands.

"Wh-what?"

"My dad. In the hospital room. I think I was dreaming- I don't know. Forget about it, it's not important."

"Obviously it's important to you. If he's here, you don't want to leave him behind," she said sympathetically. "We'll try to find him."

"We're not going to find him," Lance snorted. "Forget about it, okay. We need to get to Galaluna. We just have to wait until I get this cast off, and we'll go."

"And we'll look for your dad in the meantime!" Ilana exclaimed. Lance groaned.

"Can I go to sleep now?" he asked. Ilana was about to speak, but he interrupted her. "Ilana, I swear, if you ask me how I've been sleeping, I might actually kill you."

"Okay, okay, grumpy. I get it. Good night." She got to her feet. "Come on, Octus, let's go to bed."

"Turn off the light. Please," Lance mumbled.

The light turned off, and Lance closed his eyes.

AN- So this sort of wrote itself- I didn't expect this development. But I sort of like it, so I guess it stays. Might actually extend the story. Maybe by only one chapter, maybe by four. We'll see what ideas I get. Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
